10 Superlatives: Edmond Memorial vs. Norman North
Edmond Memorial (6A No. 3) defeated Norman North (6A No. 6) on Tuesday night at home, 57-49. Watching the matchup, the abundance of individual talents was apparent to us from both teams. From the players we saw, here are our…
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Continue ReadingEdmond Memorial (6A No. 3) defeated Norman North (6A No. 6) on Tuesday night at home, 57-49. Watching the matchup, the abundance of individual talents was apparent to us from both teams. From the players we saw, here are our 10 superlatives, or “bests” from the matchup:
MVP — Drew Tennial, Edmond Memorial
Senior forward Drew Tennial, a Texas State signee, finished the night with 22 points, leading all scorers. Tennial also shot 8-10 from the free-throw line and added value to his play by drawing fouls. The Edmond Memorial standout has played his best in the biggest games all season, a quality that Edmond Memorial head coach Shane Cowherd said he commends in his senior.
Best Shot — Sean Pedulla, Edmond Memorial
Sean Pedulla finished with 4 points on the night, but two of them came from the most important shot of the game when he drove into the lane, penetrated North’s defense, and finished high off the glass to break a tie and give the Bulldogs a 2-point lead with a minute to go in the game. The Timberwolves never recovered, making Pedulla’s bucket the eventual game-sealing shot.
Best Shooter — Jaylon White, Norman North
Jaylon White finished with 10 points in the low-scoring affair and had the only 3-balls his team knocked down for the evening. White shot the ball well from a dribble and from the catch.
Best Glue Guy — Keyshon Spotwood, Edmond Memorial
Keyshon Spotwood came off the bench and had a great game as a glue guy for Norman North. The guard hustled, got rebounds, and played with abandonment of any timidness or recessiveness. Spotwood is a fast athlete who can perform well in a man defense.
Best Sleeper — Josh Robinson, Norman North
Josh Robinson flies a little too close to the radar at times, but the senior swingman was doing all of the little things to help Norman North on Tuesday night. Robinson got rebounds, made passes, and led the Timberwolves on defense.
Best Rebounder — Shemar Smith, Norman North
Shemar Smith, a University of Central Oklahoma commit, dominated the board better than any other player dominated his respective responsibility. With 20 points, Smith easily gathered the double-double for the Timberwolves with his strength, height, and athleticism. Smith’s rebounding presence, especially offensively, wore on Edmond Memorial’s stout and disciplined defense.
Best Ball-Handler — Peyton Vineyard, Norman North
Norman North’s Peyton Vineyard was shaking guys off and getting separation all night to get to the basket, draw a foul, or catch a slasher for the bucket. Vineyards’ handles allowed his team to catch breaks and find holes in the Edmond Memorial defense.
Best Passer — Jaylon White, Norman North
Jaylon White had a few passes on Tuesday night that made you turn your head and say “okay kid.” Or maybe that was just me. Either way, his passing was fantastic, efficient, and a little entertaining and functioned to put the Timberwolves into a spot where they could compete for the win in the fourth quarter.
Fastest Guard — Jake Royal, Edmond Memorial
Edmond Memorial’s Jake Royal is an athletic player who made a difference in a starting role for the Bulldogs on Tuesday night. Finishing with 8 points, Royal was a glue guy whose speed came up on both ends of the floor.
Biggest Catalyst — Edmond Memorial leadership
Edmond Memorial’s leadership and gamesmanship from its senior group was the most important factor in the win. Thionnet, Tennial, and Dylan Youngblood are one of the most seasoned core-groups of any team in the state, and it showed when the Dogs were tied with the Timberwolves with a minute and a half to go in the game. Thanks to their business-like mentality, Edmond Memorial was able to put it away with an 8-0 run in that finally 90 seconds.